Dear Times-Delphic Editors and the Student Body,
My name is Jack Harrington; I am the President of the Student Activities Board. I write this to announce the beginning of a new era for SAB. We are completely reimagining SAB starting now. We want to acknowledge our past issues and our lack of transparency to the student body. We are working to change that and become an organization that serves the student body by bringing entertainment and fun to everyone involved in the Drake University community, while making the campus a better place.
We understand why SAB’s image has dwindled in recent years, becoming an organization that resembles the “evil empire” more than what it is supposed to be: a servant of the student body, organizing and throwing fun events and activities. That is the goal of our organization.
As an organization, we are actively making many foundational changes to bring the new image of SAB to life. We are conducting a comprehensive audit of our annual events to determine which ones are successful and enjoyable for the community, and which may be a waste of money. We are completely reinvigorating our marketing strategies, such as better utilizing email and the TVs around campus, while also using social media, to make sure everyone can easily find the details of events and know that they are happening. We will be better about asking the student body their opinions and understanding what people actually want from us through tabling events and online surveys. Rather than forcing people to attend our events, we will give them reasons to want to come.
Along with these changes, we have created a new committee that will host two events per month, one of which will be called “Second Saturday.” These will be fun activities on Saturdays for students to enjoy, such as a large trivia night or a paint-and-sip event.
Other changes include reimagining the Free Movie Friday program. We are now partnering with the Varsity Cinema, and we will have a certain number of free tickets available every Friday at the Varsity. Details on how students can access this program will be available soon. This partnership will bring more students to the beautiful theater located right off campus, while also providing them with a fun experience.
These are not all the changes we are making, nor will this be an immediate success. We will work hard on this reimagination, as we understand it is necessary. SAB is to serve the Drake community, not the other way around. I am confident in myself and my board that we will create a better organization and impact this campus for the better. I promise a better SAB and invite all readers to join us at our events and give us feedback on how we are doing throughout the year.
Sincerely,
Jack Harrington, SAB President
Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this piece only represent the author(s) and do not reflect the Times-Delphic or its editorial staff. According to Regen Kuker, the Varsity Cinema’s director of operations and engagement as of Oct. 1, the partnership between the Varsity and SAB has not yet been confirmed.
